Apparatus for destroying insects



(NoKModel.) l

H.B.GRAY. APPARATUS POR DESTROYING INSBG'IS.V

No. 245,159. Patnted Au l2,1881.

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N. PETERS, mum-llnhognpm. washingw. n. c.

UNITED i STATES PATENTr OFFICE.

IRAM B. GRAY, OF COLUMBUS, TEXAS.

APPARATUS FOR DEsTRoYlNG lNsEcTs.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 245,159, dated August 2, 1881.

Application 'led September 10, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it knownl than, Hmm B. GRA-Y, of c0- lumbus, in the county of 'Colorado and State of Texas, have invented a new and Improved Apparatus for Destroying Insects, of which the following is a specification.

In some of the Southern States there are large tracts of land that are infestedrby the cutting-ant;7 which destroys all vegetation, some of these tracts beingliterally undermined by them. These ants dwellin what are called townsl or F colonies,77 and, being at a certain period of their existence provided with wings, they ily and swarm as bees do. Selecting a suitable location for a colony they bore down in the earth from three to twenty feet .sometimes, according to therfacilities for draining, and upon reaching a suitable depth they excavate for a dwelling. The size of these cavities or chambers depends upon the size of the colony, being from two to two hundred feet or more in extent. or more of these chambers, which are occupied for diierent purposes, one being designed for storage of raw material for food, another for storage of their prepared food or bread,7 as it is called, and another, usually the lower chamber, for dcomb, eggs, and brood. This comb isnot infrequently as large as a barrel, and in it the eggs are deposited. All these chambers are connected by underground roads or tunnels, and they also construct many tunnels or avenues through which to go in search of their food, and these tunnels or avenues often extend from one hundred to two hundred yards from their houses. Barrelfuls of ants are sometimes found in one of these colonies.

rlhe object of my invention is to destroy these pests. Many devices have been unsuccessfully tried for this purpose, and one consists of a sheet-metal furnace provided with an annular bottom flange, which is placed over as many ant holes or hills as it will cover, and then a fire of charcoal andsulphur is made in the furnace and a blast applied by bellows, that forces the products of combustion through a hole in the bottom of said furnace into the chamber formed by the furnace-ange over the ant-hills. This process and apparatus fail of success because the apparatus itself cannot withstand the pressure of air required for forcing the fur# Each colony hastwo, three,

nace-gases down the holes or-tubes, because vthis chamber, formed by the ange over the holes or tubes, permits such an expansion of the gases that their pressure is too much reduced to be of suiiicient effect to reach the colonies, and because the ants in the upper portions of these holes or tubes, becoming suffocated, fall andchoke up the said holes or tubes, so that gas cannot penetrate any deeper, and hence the colonies and their effects are saved from further injury.

Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same on line :r w, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the same on line y y, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts.

In the drawings, A represents the blowingcylinder, constructed of cast or heavy wrought metal, and provided with a central aperture, a, in its bottom. B is a piston fitting closely in said cylinder A, constructed of two disks of wood bolted together so as to form an annular groove, b, in which is fitted a packing-strip, c, oi' leather or other suitable material, to make the said piston B more air-tight. Said piston B is provided with two vertical ports, d, extending through it, and provided with valves d on the under side.

(l is the piston-rod. I) D are arms pivoted to the said rod C, near the lower extremity thereof, and extending upward along the said rod C, to have their upper ends pivoted to the levers E E. These levers E E are fulcrumedat their ends to opposite side standards, F F, that are fixed in the bed-plate Gr, of the devices, and that are braced at the top by a cross-timber, H.

The cylinder A rests in the bed plate Gr, which is provided with an aperture, g, correspondin g with the aperture a. Over this aperture g a strong pipe, I, of cast or wrought metal, is securely fastened, by bolts ff or other suitable device, so that the joint shall be airtight, said pipe I being extended horizontally and having its smallerend screwed into a side of the furnace K, near the bottom thereof.

The furnace K is a strongcylindrical vessel, of cast or wrought metal, having an interior annular shoulder, h, on which is tteda (lished cover, m, and having also an outer cover, a, tting on the top and held firmly` down by a ICO Wedge, o, that is driven beneath the clamp p, that is hooked into the lateral lugs r of said furnace K.

On the opposite side ofthe furnace K from the pipe I, and from near the top thereof, a discharge-pipe, L, connecting with the interior ofthe said furnace K, extends laterallyashort distance and then downward to a point considerably below the said furnace K.

The device is prepared for operation by placing charcoal and sulphur in the furnace K and igniting them, and then tightly closing the covers m n., filling the space between the said covers with clay or other substances tightly packed to prevent leakage of the coal and sulphur fumes. The antcolony is then discovered by sounding-rods, and an auger-hole is made down into the lower chamber thereof. The apparatus is then placed in position, a trench being preferably dug for accommodation of the pipe I, and the lower portion of the whole apparatus and the pipe Lis then inserted into said auger-hole. The operatorthen works the levers E E with the effect of forcing air under strong pressure into the furnace K, through the burning coal and sulphur therein, thereby forcing the coal and sulphur fumes under strong pressure through the pipe L into the chambers occupied by the ants. This operation of forcing the burning sulphur and coal fumes down the auger-holes into the ant colony is continued until the fumes are seen escaping from all the ant holes or tubes of the colony, which gives assurance that the work of dcstroying the colony is accomplished. Then the apparatus can be easily removed to another colony and put in immediate operation as before. The pipe L, being inserted into the auger-hole leading into the chambers of the colony, prevents the fallingin of earth to choke the holes, and conducts not only the gases, but also the flame into the said chambers if they be not too far below the surface of the ground.

The apparatus may be applied to destroying other insects and small animals.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An apparatus for destroying insects, con sisting of frame F GH,levcrs E, pivoted arms l), piston-rod C, piston B, provided with valves d and openings d, air-tight iron chamber A, having opening a', pipe I, furnace K, provided with double lid m n, lugs 1', and pipe L, clamp p, and wedge o, substantially as described, whereby the flame as well as the poisonous vapors are injected into the insect-chambers.

HIRAM BALDERSTON GRAY.

Witnesses:

Jas. E. BINKLEY, GEO. GEGENWORTH. 

